


A New Life

by Baroness_Blixen



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Baby Fic, F/M, angsty fluff, mulder baby 2.0
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 15:28:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14138970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baroness_Blixen/pseuds/Baroness_Blixen
Summary: The birth of Scully and Mulder's baby. Post My Struggle IV.





	A New Life

One sleepless night early in her pregnancy, Scully joked that it would happen in the middle of the night. He should have listened, not laughed and kissed her. She was right, of course she was. 2 am on a Tuesday morning with Scully just looking at him, holding her stomach. He knew right away. ‘Get the bag. Call an ambulance,’ was all she said. Was all she could say. 

That was one hour ago. Now he’s pacing the empty hallways of Our Lady of Sorrows, all by himself. He’s holding a Styrofoam cup full of coffee in his hand, the edges already torn off. A nurse sent him away, pleaded with him to calm down. As if he could. He’s had a sip, but couldn’t stand the bitterness. The coffee is cold now and the only reason he still clings to it, is that he needs something to hold on to. Scully. She’s his only thought and concern. The nurse told him to wait a moment. It’s been ten millions moments already. He paces, listens for footsteps other than his own. There are none. 

“Mr. Mulder?” He turns around too quickly and almost misses a step. The nurse smiles at him and a smile, he figures, has to be a good sign. 

“Where is she? Is she all right? I need to see her.”

“Calm down, Mr. Mulder. You can go see her now.” He doesn’t wait another moment, hands the cold coffee cup to the nurse and sprints off. Scully is sitting up in bed, her face an enigma. When she spots him, she gives him a reassuring smile.

“Scully.” He kisses her name against her temple, takes a deep breath.

“I’m fine, Mulder.” She chuckles. 

“The baby?” He asks and she nods.

“The baby is fine, too. But…”

“But what?” Mulder sits down at the edge of the bed and takes her hand in his, puts the other one on her stomach. How often have they been here, at this exact moment in the last few months? He wishes it could have been easier. He wishes this could have happened 20 years earlier with fewer complications, fewer risks. Yet, here they are. Against all odds.

“Dr. Martins and I have been talking about doing a C-section.” 

“I thought you didn’t want that.” One of the many, many talks they’ve had. Mulder wants whatever Scully wants. All he wants, needs, iss for her and their baby to be healthy. 

“I didn’t, but Mulder…” She trails off and he hears it in her voice, the fear. 

“Hey,” he touches her chin and she turns to him, tears swimming in her eyes, “we already beat so many odds with this baby, Scully. She’s a tough cookie. Just like her mom.”

“She?” Mulder nods, feels it in his gut that they’re having a girl this time. 

“The baby is perfectly healthy, so are you.” He reminds her. There’s a whole list with check-ups, not one missed. Baby healthy, mother healthy. Those are the only words Mulder needs to know. And he will do whatever she tells him to do. Mulder is prepared to hold her hand for the next 24 hours, the next 24 years. Whatever she needs. Crush my hand, he thinks, break it. He won’t leave her alone. Not this time. 

“There’s still the risk of stillbirth, Mulder. There’s a good chance that I-” He stops her, shakes his head, and silences her with a finger on her lips.

“Scully-”

“I know you don’t want to hear it, but we need to talk about it. There’s a chance I’m not – we have everything in order. If anything happens, you and the baby are taken care of.”

“Scully, just-” She holds up her hand, is not done. She is right; he doesn’t want to hear it. He’s dodged the conversation for months. He signed all the forms she handed him silently. Just in case, she whispered each and every time. But he doesn’t want to have back-up plan. There’s only one way this journey is supposed to end; with her giving birth to their child, healthy and alive. 

“I could have a hemorrhagic stroke, a heart attack. There are so many risks, Mulder. For me and the baby. You need to remember that. I was – we were – lucky until now. No diabetes, no high cholesterol, but there are no guarantees and-”

“No, Scully. Listen to me for a second? I know this is important. I know it. I know there’s a chance that this doesn’t end… but I want to believe – I do. I know you’re my little skeptic and I love you for it, but this time you have to believe me. Can you do that? Believe me? Trust me?”

“You know I trust you, Mulder.” He nods, grins at her. 

“We’ll do whatever you decide. I’m behind you whatever you want to do.” 

“I’ll tell Dr. Martins to schedule the C-section.” Mulder squeezes her hand and leans forward to softly kiss her lips.

“I’ll go call William. I’m sure he’s worried by now.” She nods, a slow movement. Mulder is reluctant to leave her even now, but she gently pushes at him. “You’re really fine?” He asks again, just to make sure.

“I’m fine, Mulder. Go call our son.” He kisses her again, a moment longer this time. He leaves the hospital room, his heart jumping up and down in his chest. The reception is terrible and a nurse throws him an angry glare, so he walks down the long corridor with the phone pressed to his ear. No one picks up at home and Mulder sighs; he can’t believe Will would have fallen asleep again. Just as he’s about to hang up, he sees his son walking towards him. He forms a stark contrast to the whiteness of the hospital walls with his dark clothes, dark hair. His hands are buried in his pockets and when he catches sight of Mulder, he gives him a sheepish look. 

“What are you doing here?” The boy shrugs and even though Mulder’s only known his son a few months, he feels something isn’t right. Scully. He whirls around to witness nurses and doctors storm into Scully’s hospital room.

“No.” His feet move as if in slow motion. Scully, Scully, Scully. 

“What happened?” He gasps, yells into the room. He sees Scully lying there, unresponsive, hears the machines beep alarmingly. 

“Are you the husband?” He nods mutely, his eyes on Scully. He watches as various hands fly over and around her body. He wants her to open her eyes and tell everyone to calm down. It doesn’t happen.

“Mr. Mulder?” He tears his eyes away, tries to listen. His heart pounds in his ears and all he hears is emergency, life and death, need to get the baby right now. He nods, is handed a form. His eyes on Scully as she is wheeled away, he scribbles down his signature.

“I need to be with her. I want to be there.” A doctor snaps off his gloves and glances at him. 

“A nurse will give you scrubs. We don’t have much time.” Mulder follows the nurse and then he sees William. His son has never looked this small, this young. 

“Just one moment." 

"William, your mother-” He can’t say the words and the young man nods; he knows. “Did you have a vision?” Mulder asks. 

“No,” Mulder eyes him curiously, “I swear. That’s why I came hee. I couldn’t get anything so… I wanted to be here.” Mulder wraps his arms around his son. William is used to these hugs by now even though he always grumbles. Today he doesn’t. 

“Call Skinner." 

"I’ll be fine on my own." 

"Call Skinner,” Mulder says with more emphasis, “I don’t want you to be alone. I need to be with her. I wasn’t with her when you were born. I need to be with her now. Promise me you’ll call Skinner.”

“I promise.” William’s voice sounds soft, like a small child’s. 

“Thank you,” Mulder whispers, swallows his tears. He kisses his son’s forehead. “I love you, Will.” Then he follows the nurse and together they speed up. He needs to be with Scully, no matter what.

No one talks to him. They work quickly, efficiently. Mulder is certain that if anything was wrong, they’d send him away, yell or do something. He sits at Scully’s head, covered in scrubs, and holds her hand. He puts his mouth next to her ear, mumbles nonsense into her ear. 

“Remember when we stood in the rain together, Scully? Remember Flukeman? I can’t wait to tell our daughter all about it. I will tell her how you saved me time and again, my body and my soul. I need you, Scully. Who else is going to make sense of the world if you’re not there? Hm?” He lifts his head to wipe away hot tears. He sees a nurse eye him, her expression unreadable. Mulder looks away, is not ashamed. “I don’t know if you can hear me, Scully. But it worked once, didn’t it? These people look at me like I’m crazy. Am I crazy, Scully? Crazy about you that’s for sure. Whether you can hear me or not but… I’m here, Scully. I’m here.”

“Mr. Mulder?” A grave voice says. His heart is a drum, explodes into a million pieces. He closes his eyes for an instant before he can face the truth.

“Congratulations. You have a daughter.” 

Katharine Margaret Mulder is a perfectly healthy baby and the most beautiful, tiny thing Mulder has ever seen. She passes every test with flying colors, has a loud voice, a strong will. Neither William nor Mulder can stop smiling at the sleeping newborn. 

“She’s so perfect.” William says in awe, reluctant to touch her. 

“Let’s take you to your mom, huh?” He wheels the baby into Scully’s room. She looks exhausted and yet she is so radiant that Mulder gasps and forgets to breathe.

“Hey baby.”

“Hey yourself.” Mulder jokes and William next to him groans. He picks up their daughter and puts her into Scully’s arms. He watches them and is completely, utterly in love. Scully reaches out her hand to William, who sits down next to her. They’re all quiet and listen to the baby’s soft breathing. Mulder joins his family on the bed, shares a look with Scully as William touches his sister’s cheek, brushes it as if it were made of pure gold. 

“Thank you for being here, Mulder.” Scully whispers. “I know you were there when Katie was born.”

“You heard me?” She shakes her head.

“The nurse told me what you said. But I knew. I knew you were there.”

“I’ll always be.” Mulder promises, kisses Scully’s cheek, then their daughter’s. He shares a grin with William, his quiet, awesome son. They’re not perfect, but they’re a family. They’re his family. 

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on tumblr.


End file.
